Halfmoon considering highway tax

By Dennis Yusko

Published 9:48 pm, Thursday, September 3, 2015

Halfmoon

Rapid growth may be catching up to this southern Saratoga County town.

As budget season starts, town leaders are weighing the imposition of a highway tax to maintain the growing miles of roads that wind through its subdivisions and culs-de-sac. The Highway Department is looking to raise $1.2 million a year to pay for blacktopping and equipment upgrades that would cost the average property owner about $180 a year. The Town Board held its fourth workshop on the situation Wednesday.

"The town has not been spending enough money on infrastructure," Supervisor Kevin Tollisen said before the meeting. "It's my responsibility to bring that to the board."

Halfmoon has a population of 21,535 and is one of the fastest growing towns in the state. It tightened its finances during the recent economic downturn, as its main revenue sources — sales and mortgage taxes — decreased. Its general fund balance dropped down to $28,000 in 2013, though it since rebounded to $1.2 million, according to Tollisen.

There are now 115 double-lane miles of roads in the town, compared to 68.5 miles in 1992. With a road's life expectancy estimated at 20 years, the town wants to pave 5.75 miles of roads a year, which at $125,000 a mile comes out to $718,750 a year, Highway Superintendent John Pingelski said. This year, the town budgeted $100,000 toward blacktopping and will receive an additional $176,153 in state funds for the work. That falls far short of the $718,750 needed to maintain an annual paving schedule, Pingelski said.

There are about 20 full-time employees in the Highway Department. For decades, the town has paid its highway maintenance costs through its general budget, which is supported through sales and mortgage taxes, state aid, fees and grants. The town also raises money through water, sewer and ambulance tax districts.

The board has not made any decisions on implementing a highway tax and has scheduled two additional public workshops on it for 7 p.m. Thursday and 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 in Town Hall.

The board this week also discussed whether to close its transfer station on Route 146 in favor of a municipal waste collection program. That discussion drew dozens of people and lasted about two hours. The town this year sold 615 permits for the transfer station, which is expected to again lose money, Pingelski said.

"We need to either start upgrading the transfer station or get out of the business," Pingelski said Thursday. The station requires more than $50,000 to replace its compactor and Dumpsters and to make other improvements, he said.

Residents can now purchase $20 permits to use the transfer station at $2 per garbage bag, or they can hire private companies to pick up and haul their trash for around $40 a month. The Town Board recently received three bids for municipal curbside waste pickup in response to a request for proposals. County Waste returned with the lowest cost of $22.05 per month, per household for garbage, recyclables and yard waste, Pingelski said.

Discussions will continue, but Pingelski said a majority of residents who spoke Wednesday said they liked using the transfer station.

"Surprisingly, a lot said it's mostly a social thing — they like getting out of the house and seeing neighbors," he said. "They were fine with raising the rates."